So your planner can plan. But what else can they do you for you?

What do you look for when hiring a wedding coordinator.  There should be 3 main things to consider:
1. Will I be able to work with this person efficiently (do our personalities mesh)?
2.  Be selfish.  What else can this person do for me?
3.  Is their price reflective of all they are doing for me?

At Events by Autumn, we're talented artists in addition to planners (we know, the whole right brain, left brain thing).  Autumn is a professional graphic designer and a skilled painter.  But even more importantly, Autumn can build things.  What kinds of things, you might ask?  Well, let me share just some of our portfolio below!  (We made everything you see below - paper flowers, invitations, wood products, painted signs, wooden crates, chalkboard art, painted bottles, large event props, etc.)

  

This brings us to step 3 of hiring a planner - does their price reflect all they can do for you?  With our full service package, the labor for building customized decor and props is completely included.  You only need to pay for the supplies.  And frequently, our brides already have the supplies on hand - they just don't have the time to make what they want.  A TRULY customized wedding, made just for you.

Keep that in mind when shopping other vendors.  What are they able to do to make your wedding a one-of-a-kind affair, while also providing professional planning?

Why hire a full service planner? Productivity, stress relief, and more.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of taking a full service client on an array of vendor meetings, and I thought this would be a great opportunity (while it's still fresh in my mind) to talk about this part of my planning services.  It's PERFECT for destination wedding clients, and even some of my local clients prefer for me to set up their vendor meetings for maximum efficiency, and because of my relationships with the vendors!

In this instance, both the bride and groom were from out of state, and so this weekend was the only time they'd be in Montana before the week of the wedding.  So it was vital over this 4 day period to introduce them to as many options as possible, but also give them time to explore, relax, and enjoy their time in Montana.  (We want our clients to still love Montana when they come back for their wedding!)

Over a 4 day time period, we managed to meet multiple caterers, florists, cake bakers, rental companies, and a photographer, DJ, hair dresser, and makeup artist.  We even found time to do site tours of hotels for room blocks, and managed to hit a few breweries to "sample" the potential wedding beverages!  My thoughts were that face to face interactions with these vendors would make the bride and groom much more comfortable with their decisions on whom to hire.

Every hour of every day was filled with activities and meetings, but the couple was relaxed and just enjoyed the days.  It wasn't stressful, because no decisions needed to be made on the spot.  I just want to make this very clear:  PLANNERS DO NOT MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOU.  They merely offer suggestions as to who might be able to provide the best services for what you want!  At one point in time, I was referred to as a "new member of the family" and that's the kind of relationship I hope for - that my clients trust me, can communicate with me freely, and never be fearful of giving me an honest opinion.  That's how the best weddings become the best!

I gave the Bride & Groom the itinerary a week before the trip, so they were able to plan lunches with friends, and take evenings off to explore or unwind.  We started at a reasonable time in the morning, so they could sleep in, eat a big breakfast, and treat their time as a vacation (which is what it was!)  

Keep in mind, all of my vendors are on speed dial, and it allows for the meeting schedule to be flexible if necessary.  Therefore, I was able to make quick adjustments - we even planned a menu tasting with a caterer 3 hours before it happened.  I think the bride & groom would agree with me, that the meetings ran seamlessly, and the vendors I chose to introduce them to were ideal for their style and budget.  

The key to success (I believe), was that prior to the meetings, I had worked with the couple on diagrams for the event space as well as some design boards.  Once I knew what look we were trying to achieve, we had a focused, common idea in mind for all of the meetings.

Setting up vendor meetings is included with my full-service planning packages, and I encourage brides to take me up on it.  Having diagrams and idea boards are great, but bringing your planner along to give suggestions, and ask questions makes your meetings very productive.

Happy planning!

Rental company meeting was a success!  We found this cool bar.

Sight seeing at St. Mary's Mission in Stevensville!

Tasting cake is one of my favorite things!

Events by Autumn makes dreams a reality. . .even our own!

I have been talking about opening my own business for as long as I can remember.  And when I set a goal for myself, there’s no stopping it from happening.  Even if the road to get there gets windy and confusing, I always stay focused on the end result.  

As a kid, I spent every single summer and winter in Montana, skiing, riding, fishing, exploring, just enjoying everything the state had to offer.  When I got the chance to take a job in Missoula, MT at the age of 25, I jumped all over it.  I prefer being outdoors if given a choice, and Montana towns operate at a slower pace than the “big city.”  That combination makes living in Montana my ideal place, along with the fact I bought my dream home there – a log cabin on some acreage, ready for horses.  I’ve owned the house for about 5 years now in Stevensville, MT, located in the BEAUTIFUL Bitterroot Valley.

So when I took the job in Montana, it was with the goal of opening my own business one day.  But the job required more than 70 hours a week on a regular basis, and my salary wasn’t enough to save money.  So I didn’t have enough time, or money, to take the leap and open my own business.  I was good at my job, and was eventually recruited to take a position in Boulder, CO, doing the same thing I was doing previously.  I was hesitant to leave MT, but the pay was literally 3x what it was in Montana.  So, keeping my goal in mind, I took a leap of faith.  I took the job as the Director of Catering, thinking I would work there for 4 years, save some money, and move back to my dream home in Montana, live off the savings, and open my own business.

Well, the plans went awry, like they always do!  The new boss at the hotel was changing a lot of things – employees who had been there for 15+ years and were comfortable with the status quo didn’t like the new direction the hotel was taking, so they left in droves.  (Whole different topic, but change can be GOOD people, especially when the hotel hadn’t been making money for the past 15 years).  The mass exodus of staff alerted the ownership (from a foreign country), that they should take a look at what was happening at the hotel.  So they began to take notice of what we were doing, and the first thing they did was review the bonus structure -The same bonus structure that made my paycheck awesome.  It was cut completely.  So my plans of saving money and moving back in 4 years were up-ended.

It was time to re-evaluate my plans of opening my own business and how I was going to still make it happen.  So I took a part time marketing job with another company, and just went ahead and opened Events by Autumn in Colorado.  The past year and a half has been spent creating contracts, websites, marketing materials, and getting myself fully prepared to move back to Montana and hit the ground running.  And I’ve planned quite a few Colorado weddings as well in my first year, and received the kindest, most amazing positive feedback, which just reinforces that I’m on track.  But when you know where your heart belongs, you just feel compelled to follow.

In August, my renters moved out of my dream house in Montana, and I now had to be realistic about paying two mortgages.  So my decision was to move back to Montana, rent (or sell) the house in Colorado and get the business rolling where I really wanted it to happen in the first place.  Fall is the perfect time to move back, get re-acquainted with vendors & friends, and promote the business, since most engagements happen over the winter months.

I’ve been gone from Montana for 2 and a half years, and had planned on being in Colorado for 4.  I’d say that making a dream happen in about half the time is a pretty good feeling.

(A hazy day at the log cabin in Stevi. . .the Bitterroot mountains are barely visible in the background.)